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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29992068">Number one</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mythicalseries/pseuds/Sujuseries'>Sujuseries (Mythicalseries)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Super Junior</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>And it's also the ridiculous type of angst, But everything's very soft, Light angst with fluffy ending, M/M, yehyuk, yehyukweek</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 18:41:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,005</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29992068</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mythicalseries/pseuds/Sujuseries</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Yesung now had new Jerries in his life and Hyukjae was starting to see his title under threat.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kim Jongwoon | Yesung/Lee Hyukjae | Eunhyuk</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>69</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Number one</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was supposed to be my entry for day 2 of Yehyuk week, with the prompt of freeform, but as usual, I always miss the deadline a little haha. You can also find the Spanish version right <a href="https://twitter.com/mari_ficseries/status/1370204141449060361?s=20">here</a> if you're interested :)</p><p>This was born out of a silly tweet of mine from last year, and I promised Fufu that I'd write a fic about it if she drew that silly idea for me. And she did. So I know it's long overdue, but this one's for you, Fufu!</p><p>I hope you all like it!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It wasn't unusual for them to have interviews before a show or a presentation. After all, it made sense, since it was a guarantee that most members would be present without the trouble of finding another slot in everyone's busy agenda. It was simply trying to kill two birds with one stone.</p><p>Even so, as Hyukjae now tried to pay attention to this new interviewer, he actually thought that he didn't recall ever having so many. Or perhaps just ending up being seated on the opposite side from Yesung hadn't exactly eased the anxieties he'd been feeling lately, and it certainly hadn't made the interviews more easygoing for him.</p><p>Yet, as he turned to look at the singer for a second, he figured the older seemed to be having fun.</p><p>“Ah… my Jerries,” said Yesung, smiling warmly as he scratched the back of Kyuhyun’s head. “I know they love me.”</p><p>Kyuhyun only put on a fake expression of disgust as he shook his head dramatically while Ryeowook made little hearts with his fingers toward Yesung.</p><p>While everyone laughed, Hyukjae could only stare at them, absolutely clueless as to what the question had even been, but definitely expecting Yesung to turn back to look at him as well. <em> Jerry</em>, he thought. <em> That's me.  </em></p><p>To his disappointment, however, his hyung only kept looking at the two younger members, and the dancer could only shuffle anxiously in his seat.</p><p>Hyukjae hadn’t been able to fully admit it to himself yet, but he knew the feeling wasn’t new. The constant itch to do something that would turn Yesung’s attention back toward him had only been growing the past few months, and this whole Jerry thing had been bothering him a lot more than he’d ever admit.</p><p>It used to be his title. Just his. At first he had liked it when the other members laughed along with his teasing, but when they had started joining in, Hyukjae had found that it just didn’t feel as fun anymore. And so, before he knew it, he saw himself sharing his Jerry title with the two youngest members of the group.</p><p>He figured it didn’t help his uneasiness - because of course, he would never call it jealousy - that the three of them had been spending more time together since they had started promoting as KRY again. They’d gotten closer, and if he was honest, he didn’t blame the maknaes for following his Jerry footsteps. After all, getting a reaction out of Yesung, whether it was a smile or a smack at the back of the head, was very entertaining. Especially when they all knew his reactions were always filled with affection either way.</p><p>No matter what Hyukjae would do, Yesung would never get properly mad. Even after smacking him, he’d always turn his cartoonish frown into the warmest smile, and that was exactly the feeling Hyukjae lived for. The feeling of having that beaming smile all for himself. And not only did he have to share that smile now, but he’d started to feel like he wasn’t getting at all.</p><p>Now suddenly pulling him out of his thoughts, it was the feeling of Siwon’s hand on his knee that brought him back to reality. He didn’t know how long he’d been staring at the three singers, but the interview seemed to have long moved along to another question. When he turned his attention to Siwon, he knew exactly what his friend was asking him without words. <em> Everything okay? </em>His eyes seemed to say.</p><p>It took Hyukjae a second to process it all, but he eventually nodded, patting Siwon’s hand. <em> Yeah</em>, he tried to tell him with a smile. His friend seemed satisfied with that, since he smiled back, and then turned his attention back toward the interviewer.</p><p>Hyukjae took one last glance at Yesung, who was also looking toward the front, before putting on the best fake smile he could manage and then did the same. </p><p>After what felt like another hundred interviews and a three hour show, the members were still cheerful as ever, laughing and talking about their hectic day while they changed back into their clothes.</p><p>"Can we talk about how Yesung hyung stole everyone's answers today?" Kyuhyun said teasingly, making all the members laugh. "What was up with you today, hyung?"</p><p>And of course, everyone added their own teasing comments to follow.</p><p>"Oh, you're right, you're right."</p><p>"I actually don't remember saying a single word," said Shindong. "I think I even zoned out at some point, because Yesung hyung just kept talking and talking..."</p><p>Everyone laughed again, and even Yesung chuckled along despite throwing his towel drenched in sweat at Shindong.</p><p>Yet, there was a single person who wasn't laughing along.</p><p>Hyukjae was just getting changed quietly by himself in a corner, that is, at least until Yesung seemed to notice.</p><p>"I really did talk so much that I think my throat might even hurt tomorrow, though," he joked as he approached him.</p><p>It even took Hyukjae a moment to realize he was talking to him. "Huh?" He asked, taking a quick glance at him, before continuing to change. "Ah, yeah… it might."</p><p>Hyukjae really thought that'd be the end of it, but Yesung simply knew him too well.</p><p>“Really?” Yesung asked, almost freezing with his shirt in his hand. He arched an eyebrow and now lowered his head a little to force Hyukjae to meet his eyes. “That’s all you’re gonna say?”</p><p>Hyukjae seemed startled. “What?”</p><p>“Is something wrong, Hyuk-ah?” He said, caressing the back of his neck. "You were pretty quiet today."</p><p>The inquisitive, worried look in his eyes made him freeze for a second, making him feel oddly exposed. Why did he have to know him so well? </p><p>“Yeah,” he lied, shrugging off Yesung's hand from his nape. "Just tired, that's all."</p><p>And with that, Hyukjae walked away, leaving behind a confused and slightly hurt Yesung who knew him well enough to not believe a word he'd just said.</p><p><br/>---*.*.*---<br/><br/></p><p>As the days went by, one thing started to become increasingly clear for Hyukjae: Yesung was persistent.</p><p>Hyukjae had tried, <em> really </em> tried not to think about that whole mess inside his head, but Yesung had made it downright impossible.</p><p>The day after the show Hyukjae had already woken up to a message from the singer, followed by a single picture taken by a fan where Hyukjae's hair was all over the place. «<em>Looking good, Hyukjae-ah»</em>, read the message, followed by a couple of laughing emojis.</p><p>Hyukjae had just sighed at it. He had put his phone back on his nightstand and curled back underneath his duvet. At least that one had been easy to ignore. The thoughts in his head, however, not so much.</p><p> </p><p>On the second day, he had gotten a question, and much to his own dismay, he hadn't had the heart to leave him on read. </p><p>|| <em> Hey, what was the name of that movie you always talk about? </em></p><p><em> Idk?? </em> ||</p><p>|| <em> I like to feel his eyes on me when I look away </em></p><p>|| <em> The one with that line </em></p><p><em> Before Sunrise </em> ||</p><p>|| <em> Ahhh, that's right </em></p><p>|| <em> Might watch it tonight then </em></p><p>|| <em> Wanna join?</em></p><p>Hyukjae had sighed again, a little frustrated, although he wasn't sure at whom. After all, he was sure Yesung could have found that out in two seconds with a simple Google search, and he knew for a fact that the older had already seen it. <em> He's not as smooth as he thinks he is</em>, he had thought, huffing at his screen.</p><p>«<em>Filming tonight</em>», had been his reply. And fortunately for him, it hadn't been a lie, so at least he was then able to ignore his phone for the rest of the day. Yet by the time he'd gotten home in the late hours of the night, he'd gotten not one, not two, but twelve messages of a careful, detailed review of the movie. And it had made Hyukjae smile.</p><p> </p><p>Day three had been trickier. He'd gone almost the entire day without a message from anyone, a day of complete peace for once. That is, until Yesung's name had popped up as a notification again on his screen.</p><p>|| <em> Hey, Jongjin is telling me to ask you if he can borrow your watch </em></p><p>|| <em> He says you'll know which one</em></p><p>Hyukjae had almost groaned at it, knowing he had to answer. But he'd just refused to, because as his own stupidity became more and more clear, the more he felt he had to protect his pride. So he'd just texted Jongjin instead.</p><p> </p><p>As Hyukjae opened his eyes slowly on the morning of the fourth day, he stretched his back before rolling over to the other side with a grunt. He could see his phone right in front of him, but instead of reaching for it, he just stared at it for a while.</p><p><em> I swear, if I have a message from you, hyung, I… </em> He thought, frustrated. But he soon realized he didn't know how to finish that thought. What if he did have a message from Yesung waiting for him? Was he going to reply? How long was he going to keep this up?</p><p>But then another thought hit him, one that he seemed to dislike even more. <em> What if he stops texting me? </em></p><p>And with that, he quickly stretched out his hand to grab his phone as if he needed it to ease his mind. As soon as he lit up his screen, however, he immediately sighed, feeling both relieved and stupid. Because, of course, there it was. His hyung's name in bold letters on his screen again. <em> 3 new messages</em>.</p><p>|| <em> Hyuk-ah... </em></p><p>|| <em> Are you sure everything's okay? </em></p><p>|| <em> You know you can tell me if it's not</em></p><p>He knew. That was the worst part, he figured. He knew that if he just talked to Yesung about it, the older would just shower him with endless affection. He would probably call Hyukjae an idiot for not telling him sooner, but still apologize nonetheless, because of course, he was an idiot as well.</p><p>But the more Hyukjae tried to even picture a conversation about it, the more he decided against it. He wouldn't be able to survive that level of embarrassment.</p><p>So he figured he'd have to find a way of telling without <em> actually </em> telling him, making himself chuckle at how ridiculous it all sounded. <em> Solid plan, as always, Hyukjae</em>, he told himself ironically. <em> Truly, just great. </em></p><p>Until he could come up with a way to do that or with a better plan, however, he thought he'd rather not reply than lie to him again. Especially when his hyung wouldn't believe it anyway.</p><p>And so he went along with his day, trying his hardest to think about something else but failing miserably. Even if had hid his phone underneath a pillow, living with one of the other Jerries didn't exactly let him escape the thought of it all. And if that wasn't enough, the Super Junior memorabilia in every corner of the apartment really made it feel like he had no way to run from it either.</p><p>It was only by mid afternoon, after sitting in the living room for who knows how long, that he decided he'd had enough of the constant reminders on the walls, and simply grabbed something to snack on before heading to the place that felt like his one little safe corner in that apartment: his tent.</p><p>So he just sat there, staring into thin air while the bowl of berries he'd brought remained untouched.</p><p>What if he just stopped being a Jerry all together? He wondered, sitting there in silence. Would Yesung be glad about it? Would he even care?</p><p>Yet, it didn't take long for his own mind to make him see how ridiculous that question really was.</p><p>Of course Yesung would care. After all, he'd already noticed Hyukjae hadn't been acting like his usual self lately, and he'd definitely proven to not be willing to get off his back until he figured out what was wrong.</p><p><em> He cares so much</em>, he thought, cursing at himself again for being upset over something so childish. But he couldn't help it. He just felt like his Tom had been stolen away and he wanted him back. He needed him back.</p><p>All of a sudden, however, the clear sound of a phone ringing across the hallway startled him.</p><p>"Hello?" He overheard Yongsun say as he picked up. </p><p>Hyukjae huffed out a laugh as he realized he'd been so focused on what was going on inside his head that he hadn't even realized Yongsun was home.</p><p>“Yesung-ssi?” The unexpected name made Hyukjae sit up straight, perking up his ears with interest. “Of course, it’s no bother… Ah, Eunhyuk-ssi?” </p><p><em> Oh no</em>. </p><p>“No, he doesn’t have any schedules today.” </p><p><em> Oh nononono</em>, he thought, jumping to his feet and rushing toward his manager’s room.</p><p>“Yeah, he was in his room I think. He's...” He said as Hyukjae burst through the door without knocking. Yongsun paused, a little startled, but then frowned in confusion when Hyukjae started pointing at himself and waving his arms as a negative. “He's… actually not here?”</p><p>Hyukjae sighed in relief, giving him a thumbs up, and plopping down on the manager's bed.</p><p>"I… Sorry, I just remembered he said he was leaving. Said he had to help his mom with something," Yongsun lied. There was a pause in the conversation, until Yesung's deep voice could be heard from the other side again. Hyukjae couldn't quite make out the words, but after a second, Yongsun replied again. "No, he didn't say. But I'll tell him you called when he comes back."</p><p>Hyukjae was already dreading the thought of having to come up with another excuse later.</p><p>"Sure, it was no bother," Yongsun assured the singer. "See you… Bye."</p><p>Hyukjae sighed as soon as Yongsun hung up, not daring to look up at him yet. His manager only turned his chair around slowly to stare at him, a confused look on his face.</p><p>"Anything you wanna share with the class?" He asked almost curiously, finally making Hyukjae look up again.</p><p>“I…” He began trying to explain, but he soon sighed with resignation when he realized that any explanation would just sound like the dumbest thing ever. “You know what? Just don’t ask.”</p><p>Yongsun simply stared at him for a second, until he eventually nodded once, seemingly deciding to not press any further. “Just so you know, though…” He said, making Hyukjae freeze as he stood up. “He just wanted to see if you were okay. He sounded worried.”</p><p>To Hyukjae, those words felt like someone had just dropped a ten pound weight on his chest. “I’ll try to text him later,” he lied, trying to brush it off as he approached the door. "And thanks for…" He said, signalling at the phone still in the manager’s hand.</p><p>Yongsun waved at him dismissively. "Sure.”</p><p>As he walked out, Hyukjae only sighed again, feeling more ridiculous than ever. He wondered for a second how on earth he was supposed to face his hyung the following day. After all, they were getting together for practice so he was going to see him whether he wanted it or not.</p><p>But as he sat back down on his tent, he decided he’d try to go along with whatever he felt. He wasn’t going to pretend he wasn’t upset, but he figured that after all those texts, he at least owed his hyung a smile or two.</p><p><br/>---*.*.*---<br/><br/></p><p>The traffic that afternoon was more hectic than ever. He’d even lost track of how long he and Kyuhyun had actually been sitting in the car without moving at all, so as the agreed time came and went, Hyukjae ended up texting on the groupchat to let them know they were going to be at least half an hour late for practice, so they could start without them.</p><p>By the time they arrived, the others hadn’t started too long ago since most of them had been late because of traffic as well. But now with Shindong leading the practice, the members were goofing around while Yesung and Ryeowook were getting some corrections on one of the dance moves.</p><p>Kyuhyun and Hyukjae entered the room quite discreetly, walking around them to leave their stuff on one of the wooden benches on the side.</p><p>“Yah!” Siwon greeted them cheerfully from afar. He lifted his arm up to say hello to Hyukjae as he walked over to hug Kyuhyun.</p><p>Hyukjae smiled at him as he greeted the others, complaining about how painfully slow the traffic had been. Yet, the moment he shook the last hand of the free members, it was almost as if everyone in the room got out of the way for Yesung’s eyes to find his and it made Hyukjae freeze. </p><p>He didn’t even care if the other members had noticed it as well, but as he stood in the middle of the room, Hyukjae tried his very best to not fully drop the smile he’d been wearing on his face. So, although the upward turn of his lips didn’t fully disappear, the sentiment behind it immediately felt different.</p><p>Suddenly the warm bubbly smile the members had pulled out from him had turned into a smaller, bittersweet one, and he knew Yesung could recognize the difference as well. As Yesung put on a matching smile on his face, he lifted his hand slowly to give him a little wave from afar.</p><p>The small gesture made Hyukjae’s heart melt a little, so he mimicked it back. “Hey,” he mouthed.</p><p>However, he didn’t have much time to dwell on the moment between them, since Donghae’s arm around his shoulders, pulling on him playfully, suddenly startled him. His friend was laughing at something Shindong had said but that Hyukjae had obviously missed, but he soon found himself being pushed toward the front of the group to take his assigned spot.</p><p>And so he just sighed, taking one last glance at Yesung on the mirror as he stretched a little to warm up. His hyung was also looking at him, a piercing yet curious look on his eyes before Ryeowook tapped Yesung’s shoulder and his attention was once again gone.</p><p>He took a deep breath, telling himself it was all fine. <em> Get it together, c’mon</em>, he told himself, deciding to simply focus on the practice for the time being.</p><p>And he tried. He really tried. But in their little breaks in between one song and the other, as they were all able to regain their breaths, Hyukjae’s eyes were fixed on the way Yesung smiled at the two youngest members as they teased him about the way he had sung a certain note in the song. It made Hyukjae clench his jaw to realize he hadn’t even noticed that note, so he was feeling even more left out by their specific type of teasing among vocalists.</p><p>Yet, Hyukjae had to be fair to Yesung. It wasn’t like he hadn’t tried several times to meet his eyes in the reflection on the mirror, giving him a quick tentative smile here and there, that the dancer simply pretended to ignore.</p><p>Even so, however, Hyukjae didn’t expect him to approach him alone as he finished changing into a clean shirt.</p><p>“You’re avoiding me,” Yesung’s voice came from behind him, making him turn around.</p><p>It was only then that Hyukjae realized that most of the members were already on their way out the door, leaving behind only Yesung and the two maknaes for them to rehearse for their KRY stage. As Kyuhyun and Ryeowook talked by themselves across the room, and a distracted Yongsun waited for him near a column with his eyes on his phone, Hyukjae found himself alone with Yesung’s looming presence before him.</p><p>There’d been no trace of doubt in his voice in his statement, and it had caught Hyukjae a little off guard, since he didn't expect him to be so upfront. </p><p>So the dancer simply reached out for his water bottle as a way to stall while he thought of what to say or not say. He took a long sip of water, holding it in his mouth while he slowly put the cap back on the bottle. And so, once he was done, he just held Yesung’s gaze for a second before swallowing in a single gulp. </p><p>“I’m not.”</p><p>Contrary to his words, however, he circled around Yesung to grab his jacket from the floor without saying another word.</p><p>“Hyukjae-ah...” He said, grabbing the younger’s wrist and making him turn around. "I-"</p><p>“Hyung!” Ryeowook’s voice suddenly interrupted him. “Are you ready?”</p><p>Hyukjae looked over Yesung’s shoulder to smile at their two youngest members, and then turned his eyes back to Yesung. The older’s gaze had never looked away, now almost looking at him pleadingly, and as soon as their eyes met, it was as if the grip on his wrist suddenly started to burn.</p><p>“Go,” he said, carefully pulling his hand away with a sad smile. "Jerries one and two are waiting for you."</p><p>He put on a slightly brighter smile for the younger members and waved at them from afar before grabbing his stuff from the bench and turning to walk away.</p><p>"Two and three," said Yesung, loud enough just for Hyukjae to hear it.</p><p>The younger stopped in his tracks. He turned around slowly, being met with the image of Yesung just standing there, alone, as he stared at the floor.</p><p>Hyukjae didn't say a word, but even without looking up, it was as if Yesung knew he had turned around to listen.</p><p>"They're Jerries two and three," he explained. And as he lifted his eyes, he gave Hyukjae a lopsided smile that made the dancer's heart pang inside his chest. "Number one is taken."</p><p>And with that, it was Yesung who turned around first, walking over toward the other members. Meanwhile, Hyukjae stood frozen in place for a second as he processed his words, but he couldn’t help the way his lips curled up on their own.</p><p>When he looked back toward Yongsun, he found the manager already looking at him with a slightly curious look on his face, and it made Hyukjae pull himself together again. He straightened his back, and cleared his throat slightly before walking over toward him.</p><p>“You ready?” Yongsun asked.</p><p>Hyukjae nodded, adjusting the strap of his bag over his shoulder. “Yeah.”</p><p>As they walked out the door and headed for the elevators, Hyukjae could only stare at the floor. While they waited, he just started shuffling his feet mindlessly, wondering if someone from maintenance had put on a lighter bulb in the hallway or if it was just his mind that could suddenly see everything a little less dim.</p><p><em> Number one is taken</em>, Yesung's words echoed in his mind again during the short elevator trip. And the more they echoed, the more they started to sound like an indisputable fact. <em> Of course it is</em>, he thought.</p><p>And as the elevator doors opened on the ground floor, Hyukjae followed behind Yongsun, but it wasn't long until it all suddenly clicked inside his head. <em> I’m just being the biggest idiot in the world, aren’t I? He</em> chuckled.</p><p>When he suddenly stopped in his tracks in the middle of the hallway, Yongsun kept walking just a few steps further before turning to look back at him.</p><p>"Did you forget something?"</p><p>"I…" Hyukjae started, stopping for a second as he seemed to make up his mind in the middle of the phrase. "I think I'm gonna stay."</p><p>Yongsun just sighed, smiling at him with a knowing look in his eyes. "Good."</p><p>"Just in case they need me, you know," Hyukjae rushed to justify himself. "I could help to sort out some details for the show and stuff."</p><p>"Right…" Yongsun chuckled. "Stage director duties."</p><p>"Exactly!" Hyukjae laughed, already taking a couple of steps backwards. Even though he knew full well that his manager wasn’t believing a word he was saying, he was still grateful that he was going along with his bit. "I’ll just head back with Kyu later."</p><p>“Okay,” said Yongsun with a quick wave. "See you later then."</p><p>And if Yongsun said anything else, Hyukjae at least didn’t get to hear him, since he immediately turned around and rushed toward the elevators again. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Hyukjae pushed the door as silently as he could just in case his members were trying to listen to something, but he as soon as he peeked into the room, he realized they hadn’t started yet. While two people from the staff seemed to be struggling with the audio, his three friends were using the time to relax a little.</p><p>“Woah…” Kyuhyun was saying when Hyukjae walked in. “Are you really eating right now?” He said, pointing at the granola snack Yesung was munching on. “Does that mean you only have four times left to have dinner this year?”</p><p>Ryeowook chuckled next to them while Yesung only rolled his eyes as he finished chewing. Yet, when he opened his mouth to speak again, the older suddenly was left gaping when he saw Hyukjae’s reflection in the mirror. And so, when Hyukjae warmly smiled at him from the door, Yesung couldn’t hold back his own smile.</p><p>“Hyung...?” Kyuhyun asked, a little confused when Yesung didn’t reply.</p><p>And so that finally brought Yesung back to the conversation he’d been having. The older looked away from Hyukjae and put on a fake serious face when he turned his attention back toward Kyuhyun, still clearing his throat as if he meant business.</p><p>“Sorry, Kyu,” he ended up saying nonchalantly. “I only have room for one Jerry in my life.”</p><p>Kyuhyun just frowned, now even more confused. “What...?”</p><p>“Yah!” Hyukjae yelled at him, seemingly making the two maknaes finally notice his presence. And so he just dropped his bag and jacket by the door, rushing over toward them and hugged Yesung tightly from behind. “You heard him! The position is taken.”</p><p>Yesung couldn’t help but smile a little when he felt Hyukjae’s arms wrapping around him, but soon tried to put on his best poker face again. “See what I mean?” He said, pointing at Hyukjae.</p><p>“Go find your own Tom…” Hyukjae told the maknae, tightening his grip around Yesung.</p><p>Kyuhyun huffed out a confused laugh, as he looked between them. Hyukjae was glaring at him, while Yesung’s eyes were on Hyukjae instead, a slight smiling creeping on his lips.</p><p>“Okay…” He mumbled as he stepped back, deciding not to ask any further about it. "What are you still doing here, though? Are you staying?"</p><p>Hyukjae nodded, slowly letting go of his hyung. "I just couldn't let you guys tease Yesung hyung without me, I guess" he said with a shrug. “It just didn’t feel right.” The low sound of Yesung’s chuckle beside him already felt like music to his ears, making him smile and embrace his Jerry side even further. "Besides, I figured there should be at least one singing expert present, right?"</p><p>"Aish…" Kyuhyun complained, rolling his eyes at him.</p><p>Hyukjae turned to look at Yesung, only to find the older one already looking at him with the widest beaming smile on his face, and it made Hyukjae’s heart skip a beat. When his hyung suddenly lifted a hand toward him, Hyukjae braced himself for a smack at the back of the head, but it never came. Instead, the older’s fingers disappeared in his hair, caressing him gently. </p><p>"Cute, Jerry," he said with a chuckle.</p><p>Hyukjae was sure that the way his smile lit up must have even been embarrassing, but at that moment he didn’t really mind. He didn’t even have to properly talk to his hyung about his inner turmoil since Yesung had understood exactly what he needed from only a word or two. He figured sometimes he underestimated how much he actually knew him. </p><p>But as Yesung now softly scratched the back of his head, Hyukjae could only sigh contentedly. After all, he had what he wanted again, and it made him wonder why he’d ever thought he could even lose it at all. Yesung would never allow it to happen.</p><p>"C'mon," said Kyuhyun, patting Ryeowook's shoulder to signal him to follow him.</p><p>So even though the maknaes went off to get their mics again, Yesung and Hyukjae chuckled shyly since they both knew it was only an excuse to leave them alone.</p><p>"So..." Hyukjae started. “Did you end up watching the whole Before Sunrise trilogy the other day?”</p><p>Yesung sighed, visibly relieved that things were back to normal, and then shook his head. “No, just the first one.”</p><p>“Wanna watch the other ones later?” He smiled before nudging him with his shoulder a little. “I guess I owe you a movie night, don’t I?”</p><p>Yesung nodded with a smile. “Sounds like a plan.”</p><p>“Dinner is on you.”</p><p>It made Yesung let out a hearty laugh, but he still nodded in agreement as he took a few steps back. “Okay, you brat.”</p><p>And with a quick wink, the older turned around to go search for his microphone as well so they could finally get their practice started.</p><p>So Hyukjae sat on the floor with his back against the wall to hear them comfortably. Yet, once they were ready to start, Hyukjae put on a devilish grin on his face, simply unable to fight the urge to say one last thing. "If you mess up, you know I'm always ready to cover for you, hyung."</p><p>As he mimicked his usual low tone, pretending to have a smaller hand, everyone in the room laughed again, while Yesung only rolled his eyes with a smile. </p><p>Finally, he thought, he'd taken his place again. After all, it didn't matter how many Jerries there were, because, in the end, there would always be a single number one.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading! Kudos and comments are always appreciated :)</p><p>You can also find Fufu's amazing drawing for this right <a href="https://twitter.com/fufucudlypoo/status/1293330093872300032?s=20">here</a>. Give it all the love too :)</p><p>Find me on Twitter as <a href="https://twitter.com/sujuseries">@sujuseries</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/mari_ficseries">@mari_ficseries</a>, or on CuriousCat <a href="https://curiouscat.me/sujuseries">here</a> if you're shy.</p><p>Happy yehyuk week, y'all!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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